Ten-Foot Tiger Shark Spotted At Waimea Bay Forces Temporary Closure

By Mon, Dec 17 2007 2:00 am | Comments

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Around eleven am Sunday morning lifeguards at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu beckoned swimmers out of the water at via loudspeakers after beachgoers and lifeguards alike spotted a ten-foot tiger shark. Swimmers obeyed lifeguard’s instructions, exiting the water, and crowding the beach in clumps, as whispers of the shark spread down the beach.

The shark, which was spotted in the Sunset Beach side of the bay, prompted lifeguards to follow standard protocol of a shark spotting: keep the water free of people for two hours, which allows the lifeguards to assess the situation and determine when people will be allowed back in the water.

As Waimea was void of people jumping off the rock or frolicking in the shorebreak, every other line-up was full of Northshore-ians waiting for a wave. Concern was voiced in one Rocky Point based Transworld SURF family member, Casey Koteen; “So which way did it swim, Rockies or Haleiwa?